Bind My Soul: Lost Memories
by Rainkissed Dahlia
Summary: Yato believes he's finally found a way to prevent Hiyori's soul from escaping her body, thus getting rid of her cord. However, things go terribly wrong, and her soul and memories may be lost forever. A story based on the song "12 through 15" by Mayday Parade, for Yatori week on Tumblr.


Hiyoriiii!" Yato shouted excitedly as he suddenly appeared before her. She jumped, and pursed her lips before flicking his forehead lightly. "I told you not to frighten me like that." "But Hiyori..." he whined as he rubbed his forehead. "What is it?" she inquired as she continued walking down the sidewalk. " "I found a way to finally get rid of your cord!" She wheeled around quickly, excitement rapidly washing over her. "Really?" Yato beamed and turned away, speaking to her over his shoulder. "Oh ho hooo, but I'll have to tell you later, because you're obviously annoyed that I popped up out of the blue-" "Yato!" she had grabbed his sleeve hopefully and was gazing up into his cerulean eyes. "Please?" Yato blushed as he swept his hand through his hair. "Fine." he placed his hands on his hips and stood up straight, radiating confidence. "I've been investigating, finally taking your request into consideration, and I think I've found a cure. It's a pretty simple ceremony, really. Yukine will just have to create a borderline, while I meld your soul and your body back together." "Simple?" she asked incredulously. "Simple." he nodded. "It's a wonder that I don't already have millions of loyal followers and a beautiful shrine made of gold." he said arrogantly, once again getting lost in his fantasies.

"And what would happen if it failed?" she asked quietly. Yato quickly snapped back to reality. "I'm not entirely sure. But it's worth a try?" Hiyori's violet eyes shifted to the ground. "What about you? If this works and my cord is gone forever...will I forget you and Yukine? Will everything return to how it was before I was hit by that bus?" Yato studied her intently. "Hiyori, is that what you're worried about, that you'll forget us? Wouldn't you be happier this way? No longer will you have to face Phantoms or terrifying Gods. All you'll have to fret over is grades and growing up, a-and getting married. Isn't that better than worrying about your cord getting severed or leaving your body in a dangerous place accidently?" he asked softly. She still wouldn't meet his gaze.

"You have a day to think on it." he stated, looking up to the burnt orange and blood-red sky. "Only a day?" He nodded and pointed at the sun on the horizon. "The ceremony must be done on the night of a lunar eclipse, and will conclude when the first rays of the sunrise cast light on the eclipsed moon. This phenomenon only happens once every 50 years." he looked back to her. "50 years is an awful long time to possess a cord, Hiyori." he finished softly. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "Then I guess there's no choice, is there?" she glanced back up to him, her eyes darkening like the evening sky above. Yato thrust his hands in his pockets. "Not if you want to live a happy life." "I get it." "The lake at the park. That's where we have to do it. The reflection of the eclipsed moon being illuminated by the sunrise is key to a new beginning." She nodded and began walking away. Suddenly she turned around, a blush creeping onto her porcelain cheeks. "Um. Thank you, Yato. For everything. I don't regret pushing you out of the way of the bus." then, she ran.

A morose feeling washed over Yato as soon as she was out of sight. He was only doing this for her. She would be so much better off if she were no longer exposed to the Far Shore. But he didn't want her to forget him. That was the last thing he wanted, but unfortunately it was a consequence of eradicating her cord. His chest tightened as he trudged away. This was, by far, the hardest thing he'd ever have to do as a God of Calamity.

"_I think you're better off when you're on your own."_

* * *

"Yukine." Yato watched his Regalia stare at the rising moon as his despair and anger radiated through their bond. "Yukine." "It's not fair!" he whipped around to face Yato, his hands now fists at his sides. "Why do we have to fix her? Everything was fine before, we can protect her. I _know _we can. Please. I don't want her to forget me. I couldn't take it, Yato, not again. _It's not fair." _he was visibly shaking now, and Yato could feel his resolve dissipating. Yato glided over to him, placed a solemn hand on his head and ruffled his blonde hair. "I'm sorry, Yukine. But doing this _will _be protecting Hiyori. And that's our job right? I know it's hard, but it's our job. As God and Regalia." he recited, rather defeated. "The least we could do is smile in her last moments of remembering us, right?" he reasoned. Yukine nodded silently and sniffled, his crimson eyes darkening. "Here she comes." he mumbled wistfully. Yato turned to receive Hiyori with a smile. "Hiyori!" he shouted as he always did, wrapping his arm across her shoulders. "Sorry I'm late. I had...a few things to attend to first." He stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Are you ready?" Her gaze fell to the ground once more before she too nodded.

"Yukine." he ordered. Yukine winced as he brought his index and middle fingers even to the horizon. "Borderline!" a bright, pure light emerged from his extended fingers as his border stretched from the full moon to the gleaming lake. Then, Hiyori was beside him, smiling sadly. "Thank you, Yukine, for doing this. Keep watching over Yato, okay? Keep him from trouble. You too, don't go blighting him again. I won't be around to carry him back to Kofuku again." she laughed half-heartedly. She intertwined her fingers with his for a moment and squeezed. Finally, she released his hand and walked forward, head held high.

"Now what?" she asked Yato. "Walk across, to the middle of the lake." "Eh?!" she blanched incredulously. He nodded reassuringly. "Walk across the water. It's fine. Trust me." She huffed and hesitantly placed a bare foot onto the cool surface of the lake. Her eyes widened as her foot rested lightly on the water, only causing gentle ripples that splayed out from her touch. She looked back at them and beamed. "This is too cool." she giggled as she took another step, and then another. Finally, she reached the center of the lake and slowly, she looked up at the moon, directly above her. "The eclipse is going to start soon." Yato exhaled as he rubbed his hands together. "Can you hold that borderline, Yukine?" "Unfortunately." he mumbled in return. Yato patted his shoulder once again, Yukine's angst echoing in his mind.

"Alright Hiyori, I need you to leave your body like you usually do. Can you do that?" Yato requested from the shore. Hiyori took a few deep breaths as she envisioned herself becoming a new person, much like shedding a skin, and suddenly she felt light. When she opened her eyes, her cord danced cheerfully behind her and her unconscious body lay right next to her. She released her breath and held a thumb up, signaling to Yato that he could continue. Yato lifted his head to the sky as the moon began to gain a reddish hue. "Here we go." he breathed.

He extended his arms out to his sides and closed his eyes, concentrating. Then, they snapped open. "You, who are tragically lost between the Near and Far Shores," he began. With each word, the shore around the perimeter of the lake began to glow with an azure light that matched his eyes, and would ripple inwards, faster each time. Hiyori froze has each azure ring washed over her body. She gritted her teeth as the rings hit her more and more frequently, making her cord twitch nervously. "I grant you one last chance to rejoin that in which you were born to." Yato raised his voice suddenly. "Return to the Near Shore, half-Phantom!" his heart pounded and his chest tightened as he began to speak his lasts words. "Return-" "Yato!" Hiyori had brought her hands up to her mouth in order to amplify her voice. "Thank you Yato! Thank you Yukine. Thank you!" tears began to stream down her face and landed in ripples in the illuminated lake. She smiled morosely, and her hands fell lifelessly down to her sides. "Thank you so much." she wept. "I love you." "Hiyori!" Yukine's tears poured as well as his raw voice rang across the clearing and through the trees. Yato was frozen as his voice caught in his throat. Then, the sunlight began to stream above the treetops, first one beam, then another. He looked helplessly at Hiyori, who couldn't move, trapped in an azure ring. "Hiyori." he mouthed as the sunlight stuck her.

Suddenly he snapped back to reality. He had to say those last words, or who knew what could happen if he stopped in the middle of the ceremony. "Return, from whence you came!" Suddenly, Yukine's borderline shattered and he was thrown backwards. "Yukine!" Yato screamed, flustered. "What happened?" "I-I don't know." he winced, rubbing at his fingers. He blanched as a scream filled the air. "Hiyori!" Yato's head whipped back around to Hiyori, who's body had not melded back with her soul permanently as was expected. Instead, her cord had lengthened and grew an even deeper violet, winding itself around her soul angrily. "Yato?" she reached for him, but was consumed in her ever-growing cord. Yato began to run out to her, but the magic that had made the surface of the water solid enough to walk on had dissolved, and he fell through. When he came up, he frantically searched for her. "Hiyori?!" he belted. "Yato...help me..." he reached for her soul, but missed. It shattered into pieces, each violet, evanescent piece dissipating into the waning eclipse. He dove after her body, which had begun to sink, and dragged it to the shore. He leaned in close, to make sure she was still breathing, and when he was satisfied that her body was in fact, alive, he leaned back on his feet and ran a hand through his soaking hair, his adrenaline rapidly wearing off. Yukine jetted over to them.

"What happened?" he wheezed, his confusion washing over their bond. Yato slowly met his crimson gaze as his tears mixed with the water that streamed from his wet hair. "Her soul it's...it's _gone." _

_ "The walls keep coming down but I stand Brave."_


End file.
